China's Hopefuls... and the NOT SO Hopefuls?

Washington DC November 27, 2007; The AIADA newsletter reported that while most automakers in China are relatively small manufacturers with vehicles that have yet to meet U.S. and European safety and emissions standards, a separate report in today's edition of Automotive News lists the "top contenders" from China to look out for as potential exporters to the U.S. market.

Chery Automobile Co., according to the News, will most likely come to the U.S. in 2009 or 2010 – although, not with the help of entrepreneur Malcolm Bricklin

Geely, the paper predicts, will launch cars in the U.S. in 2010; and, Great Wall Motor Co., which began exporting Hover small vans to Italy in September, will likely export more Hovers and pickups to nine European countries by the second half of 2007.

Among the paper's so-called "farm team": Zhongxing Automobile Co., or Chamco will export light vehicles to the U.S. begining in the second half of 2007; Brilliance has been trying to export a version of its own Italian-designed, full-sized sedan to Europe, but the publicly listed automaker hasn't signed a distributor; and, Nanjing plans to produce MG cars based on technology it purchased from the MG Rover Group in Oklahoma in 2008.

The wannabe: Changfeng, the only Chinese automaker to book space so far at North American International Auto Show, according to the News, is an "unlikely exporter." While SAIC Motor Corp., remains a wild card because "suppliers say SAIC Motor, which is owned by Shanghai's municipal government, may have the best long-term prospects in the West." SAIC Motor has partnerships with GM and Volkswagen, and through these collaborations has sold over 800,000 cars.